Section 5: The Ottoman and Safavid Empire

In the 1300s the Ottomans spread across Asia Minor and into Eastern Europe's Balkan Peninsula. In 1453 Constantinople fell to the Ottomans. The Ottoman empire enjoyed a golden age under Sultan Suleiman. Suleiman strengthened the government and improve the justice system. The Ottoman society was divided into classes. The Janizaries were the elite force of the Ottoman army. Arts flourished under Suleiman. An architect but the name of Sinan designed hundreds of mosques and palaces. After Suleiman's death, the Ottoman empire declined. By the early 1500s, the Safavid dynasty had united an empire in Persia. The dynasties best known king was Shah Abbas the Great, v After his death, the Safavid empire started to fade away.